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- Dictionarydefy/dɪˈfʌɪ/
verb
- 1. openly resist or refuse to obey: "a woman who defies convention" Similar Opposite
- 2. appear to be challenging (someone) to do or prove something: "he glowered at her, defying her to mock him" Similar
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DEFY definition: 1. to refuse to obey a person, decision, law, situation, etc.: 2. to be extreme or very strange…. Learn more.
The meaning of DEFY is to confront with assured power of resistance : disregard. How to use defy in a sentence.
DEFY meaning: 1. to refuse to obey a person, decision, law, situation, etc.: 2. to be extreme or very strange…. Learn more.
Jun 14, 2024 · defy (third-person singular simple present defies, present participle defying, simple past and past participle defied) ( transitive) To challenge (someone) or brave (a hazard or opposition). to defy an enemy; to defy the power of a magistrate; to defy the arguments of an opponent; to defy public opinion.
a. To oppose or resist with boldness and assurance: defied the blockade by sailing straight through it. b. To refuse to submit to or cooperate with: defied the court order by leaving the country. 2. To be beyond the application or scope of; be contrary or resistant to: an act that defies explanation; a problem that defies any conventional approach.
To defy is to openly refuse to do something. You can defy the no-costumes-in-class rule if you wear your fairy wings to school, but just don’t try to defy the laws of gravity unless you can actually fly. If you deliberately break a rule or ignore an order, you defy, or resist, that rule.
If you defy someone or something that is trying to make you behave in a particular way, you refuse to obey them and behave in that way.
Defy definition: to challenge the power of; resist boldly or openly. See examples of DEFY used in a sentence.
Definition of defy verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Defy definition: To be beyond the application or scope of; be contrary or resistant to.